Fata Morgana
by JeffAndTheWorld
Summary: Set somewhere between S2E8 and S2E12. The Questing Beast makes a return to Camelot. But why can only Arthur, Merlin and Morgana see it? And how and why will these events lead to the Lady Morgana being named Crown Princess of Camelot?
1. Revival

"Merlin!" called the Once and Future King in annoyance. A young man with short, dark brown – almost back – hair and light blue eyes stepped back into the room, sighing. He wore a tan-brown jacket with a light blue top and red neckerchief. A strange style, some might think, but it seemed to suit the young warlock.

"Yes Sire?" asked Merlin in a similarly weary tone. He looked at his Prince, laid in the magnificent four-poster with its abundance of pillows. Arthur returned his look in exasperation.

"Do you expect me to sleep under these conditions?"

"What conditions?" Merlin asked, genuinely bemused. Without another word, Arthur pointed to the corner of his bedroom. Merlin followed his gaze and his eyes came to rest upon a still-lit candle, on the window-sill.

"Have you forgotten the fire in Morgana's chambers just a few months ago?"

"Sire... that was sorcery. You can't set your curtains on fire, and I certainly can't!" Merlin smiled to himself at his personal little joke. Arthur simply slumped back onto his pillows and closed his eyes.

"Get rid of it" he replied bluntly. Merlin sighed and walked over to the candle. He placed his hands on either side of the candle and blew it out. He waved his hands just above it to wave away any smoke remnants and turned to leave the room. Arthur, eyes still closed, turned over in his sleep.

"Good _night_ Sire!" Merlin said as he closed the bedroom door.

As the darkness descended, so did the weather. Claps of thunder sounded like a drumbeat repeatedly, and lightning forks lit up the night sky for seconds at a time. Raindrops the size of grapes pounded against the windows of his bedroom, as Arthur continued tossing and turning, midway through an incredibly fitful sleep. A streak of moon-light was carelessly slung across the bed, having crept through a gap in the curtains. Suddenly, the moonlight chose a new target. A silhouette of a woman appeared, standing between the moon's light and the bed. The tall woman, with blonde, curled hair glared at the man that lay before her. Her dark brown eyes, surrounded by black eyeliner widened. The woman, who was wearing a surprisingly stylish dress with red straps, embedded with diamonds. The dress stretched all the way down her legs, covering her feet. The woman stepped closer to the sleeping Prince and threw her hand out above Arthur's head, who abruptly stopped fidgeting.

"_Awacnian sé módhord sylfum sé ádloma, ábrecan sé ae, sawol ond húswist sylfum Arthur Pendragon!" _Morgause's eyes shone a bright gold and she completed her spell. Arthur's eyes fluttered open and, though still asleep, his eyes shone a similar gold before closing again. Morgause smiled triumphantly, before disappearing back into the shadows.

Arthur, crouching slightly, with his sword drawn, crept into the dark cave, looking uneasy. The juxtaposition of the cave and the bright Camelot morning on the outside was astounding. Especially when one considered the rumours that were abound throughout the lower town; a monster dwelled within the caves. Arthur disregarded these thoughts. They would cloud his judgement, and a good warrior needed full concentration. Though that was difficult when you couldn't see a thing...

"Merlin!" Arthur called, somehow quietly. "Will you hurry up? I can't see a thing!" He punctuated each of the last four words with a series of pauses. Merlin strolled into the cave carrying a flambeau, looking considerably more cheerful, not a care in the world. Arthur pulled a flambeau from a wall bracket and used Merlin's to light his.

"So, what're we doing here?" Merlin asked jovially, totally unaware of the rumours.

"We have received reports from the townspeople," Arthur replied, slinking further into the cave and taking in his surroundings, "of noises coming from these caves. Snarls, roars, that kind of thing."

"Surely they're just hearing falling rocks, or something like that." Merlin's disbelief was obvious by the tone of his voice.

"Be that as it may, the King has ordered me to take a look, and report back." Arthur had taken to whispering.

"Why?" Merlin asked, amused.

"To put people's minds at rest, Merlin. How many times have I told you that you are not to question my father's actions?" Arthur asked, incensed. "Now shut up, and look around."

"Yes my Lord," Merlin conceded, smiling slightly. He wandered over to a particularly dark crevice in which a relatively small beast could hide, but found nothing therein. "Sire?" Merlin piped up.

"What?"

"Why am _I_ here?"

"Because _I_ have ordered _you_ to take a look," Arthur replied, smiling maliciously.

"What if there is something here, and I get eaten alive?" Merlin kicked aside a few rocks.

"We'll get over it." Arthur said, absent-mindedly.

"I don't even have a sword to defend myself with."

"Merlin, knowing how you fight, a sword would probably be more of a hindrance to you. It might get in the way of your running away."

"Brilliant." Merlin mouthed silently. Arthur, not seeing this through the pitch-black of the cave, continued on his quest. After a minute or two, he came across an archway seemingly carved into the rock wall, albeit incredibly crudely.

"Merlin!" Arthur called from in front of his discovery. "Bring your torch here. There's something new." Arthur saw Merlin glance at him through the light from Merlin's torch, who in turn saw Arthur roll his eyes and beckon to him. Without warning, a great figure emerged from the archway behind Arthur. A figure of nightmare, with the body of a leopard and the head of a vicious snake – the Questing Beast. Merlin's eyes widened in shock and horror. Surely the Questing Beast was dead? The monster let lose an almighty roar, shaking Merlin to his core. Arthur turned in surprise and came face to face with, but for Merlin's help, that which caused his death. With the speed of something much smaller, the Beast took Arthur by the shoulder, its teeth piercing his skin. Arthur let out a great shout of agony, but was cut short when the Beast threw Arthur across the cave and slammed into the rock-wall. The Beast turned its evil eyes towards Merlin who, quicker still, pointed his hand at the cave-ceiling, his fingers arched.

"_Dryre!_" he cried. A section of roof caved in. Large rocks landed on the Beast, which turned back, to find more rocks blocking his escape to the sanctuary of the archway. With no other choice, it ran out of the cave and into the open to escape further pain. Once it was done, Merlin sprinted over to Arthur and attempted, in vain, to arouse him.

"Come on," Merlin whimpered. "You haven't been poisoned again, wake up, you're not going to die. Again." Merlin knew his attempts were pointless. Or so he thought, for Arthur jolted suddenly, and sat up in surprise. Merlin's eyes widen as he gazes into Arthur's.

"Was that..?" Arthur struggled to finish his sentence. Merlin's shocked face told Arthur all he needed to know.


	2. Questions and Answers

Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot, had faced and killed many a beast in his time. But it seemed his son Arthur was part approaching that number, even at his young age. Sat in his throne, Uther listened as Arthur informed him of the day's events. To one side of the Throne Chamber, Merlin and Gaius stood, listening.

"You're sure it was the Beast?" Uther asked his son, hoping the answer was 'no'.

"Positive. It was exactly as I remember it." Arthur held firm. "I am not likely to forget that day..." he finished, remembering the worst day of his life.

"I was informed that this monster was destroyed." Uther was keen to steer the conversation away from that dark day.

"It is possible that more than one of the creature exists father. Merlin, he saw the Beast today as well."

"Merlin?" asked Uther, looking towards the young sorcerer stood at Gaius' side.

"It was dark, my Lord but yes; it... looked as I remember it." Merlin spoke up, shyly. Uther closed his eyes in defeat. It appeared the pair were telling the truth.

"Very well. Arthur, you say the creature bit you?"

"Yes, but I don't seem to have sustained any injury; there is no blood to speak of. And as you can see, I am certainly not dying."

"Gaius," the King asked, turning towards his physician. "What do you have to say about these events?"

"'Tis hard to comment Sire. Perhaps Arthur has gained an immunity to the Beast's poison. If that is indeed possible however, I cannot say."

"Why is that?"

"The bite of the Questing Beast is a death sentence. No-one has ever survived it. We shall have to see how events play out, before coming to a conclusion, my Lord." Uther shook his head at Gaius' wise words.

"No. We don't that time. I'm not having this Beast plague my Kingdom again. Arthur, assemble the Guard. You ride out tonight."

"Sire." Arthur nods to his King and leaves the chamber. Merlin bows and runs after him. Gaius however, chooses to stay. He steps towards Uther.

"Sire, as I told you the last time the Beast appeared. You must be careful; the Questing Beast is a creature of magic, a creature of the Old Religion. You must listen to the warnings it bears."

"And as I have told _you_, the warnings of the Old Religion mean nothing to me!" Uther said, chillingly menacing. "Leave me in peace, Physician."

Gaius entered his chambers, a worried look on his face. He took a seat at his desk and put his hands together, staring into space. His apprentice Merlin had jogged into the room and up the stairs into his own bedroom. He returned moments later with his book of magic.

"Perhaps there is something in here to explain the Beast's reappearance," he said, hopefully. When Gaius didn't respond, Merlin looked up to see the pained expression on the physician's face. "You alright?"

"Hm?" Gaius looked up. "Oh. I'm sorry. You were saying?"

"Maybe there's something in here to explain why the Questing Beast's back." Merlin held up his magic book.

"I doubt it. Merlin, you told me you killed the Questing Beast."

"I did!" cried Merlin defensively. "With _Bregdan anweald gefeluec_!" At Merlin's magical words, a knife on the table in front of Gaius lit up and shone with a deep blue. Merlin pointed at it. "Like that!"

"Is there no chance the Beast was simply wounded?" Gaius asked when the knife had settled down.

"No way, Gaius. You should've heard the sound it made. Nothing living would make a noise like that."

"Then we must find out how the Questing Beast has returned so suddenly to Camelot."

"Is there no chance there are two of them?"

"No Merlin, there isn't. The Questing Beast is a creature of life and death. The world could not take two such beings."

"So... it _has_ come back to life."

"Perhaps. It may be too early to tell."

"Well, if it has returned to life... why didn't it poison Arthur when it bit him? If its bite is a death sentence, you can't exactly gain immunity to death!"

"That I cannot say. But I will say this. Merlin, you must pay the utmost attention when you ride out with Arthur. Look for anything that does not ring true with your experiences."

Merlin was beginning to understand. "So you don't think this is the real Questing Beast?"

"I believe you when you say it was dead Merlin. I also know that not even the Questing Beast can truly be brought back to life. Life can be mirrored thought animating the dead; creatures such as wraiths or other such enchantments. But it is impossible to create life from death Merlin. That is why I fear for each and every one of us."


	3. Fight or Die

Merlin usually didn't mind forests. He'd trekked through and slept in many in his time. In fact, he usually did it at least once a week. Though he supposed a forest in Camelot was better than one across the border into Cenred's kingdom; they wouldn't get attacked by knights here. No, just a massive half snake, half leopard monster. Night had all but fallen over Camelot and, as he, Arthur and a selection of knights stood together in a forest clearing, they could all hear rustling around them. Arthur had followed tracks from the cave, but the trail stopped dead at that clearing. The Beast was obviously still moving around them though. Arthur took out an arrow with a cloth wrapped around its head and set the cloth on fire. He prepared to fire it skywards.

"Once I do this," he said, turning to his Knights, "there is no turning back. The Beast will come running. Prepare yourselves." He took up firing position, but looked at Merlin. "Scared?"

"Not at all," Merlin replied, sounding thoroughly unconvinced.

"Don't believe that for a second."

"Then why ask?" Arthur simply smiled at Merlin's response. He took aim and fired the flaming arrow into the sky. There was total silence, as Arthur drew his sword and waited. Great, lunging footsteps could be heard from the surrounding forest, but no Beast emerged from therein.

"Get ready to prove that bravery, Merlin," Arthur whispered. As he finished his sentence, the Questing Beast emerged from its leafy hideaway. It gazes at the assembled Knights and snarled. In preparation, Arthur placed his helmet on, all the while keeping his eyes on the Beast, which began to slowly walk towards the group, as if taunting them. Merlin tensed, ready to enchant anything, if the need arose.

"This is the time!" Arthur called to the group en masse. "The Beast has been defeated before, we can do so again! Every strike _must, count! _Tonight is not your night to die. I'm going to get you all home. Prepare!" The Beast began to pick up pace on its approach toward the group, still snarling. Arthur took up a defensive position, as the rest of his Knights drew their swords, swapping bemused expressions and looking generally uncertain.

"Good luck everyone! As we discussed. Hold firm." The Beast, roughly two-hundred metres away, begins to charge towards the group.

"Hold!" He repeated, as the monster drew closer. A slight look of fear crept upon Merlin's face, one that was not mirrored in the faces of the Knights surrounding him, who simply looked at eachother, questioningly.

"Hold!" The Prince repeated again, slightly louder this time. He bent his knees so that he was in a crouched position, ready to spring to his feet.

"Sire..?" One of the Knights finally piped up. The Beast was within twenty metres of the group now.

"NOW!" Arthur shouted the word as he launched himself forward from his crouched position right at the Beast, sword in hand, well-aimed at the neck. He moved with surprising agility for a man heavily clad in bulky body armour. The Beast threw itself aside, rolling it out. It dodged the sword and retaliated with a well-aimed swipe of its paw at Arthur's head, who managed to duck out of the way. The prince swung his sword upwards at the paw and caught it on the way through. The Beast let out an almighty screech. In anger, it darted towards Arthur, mouth wide open. It made another swipe, this one aimed at Arthur's feet. It succeeded in knocking both his feet out from under him and his sword out of his hand. The Questing Beast snarled ferociously, causing Arthur to crawl back up against a tree, a look of pure terror in his eyes.

"Oi! Yelled Merlin, acting fast. He picked up a rock and lobbed it, rather poorly, at the Beast. He missed its face but managed to make it land on the Beast's furry paw. Nevertheless, it was enough to distract the monster, which turned towards Merlin and roared. It bought Arthur enough time. He grabbed his sword while the Beast was distracted and, still on the floor, swung at the monster's chest, penetrating it. It howled out in pain, turned and ran back into the trees from whence it came.

"Sire..." Merlin managed to whisper. Arthur staggered to his feet, sweating profusely. He turned stumbled back to Merlin and clapped him on the shoulder in gratitude, then looked up to glare at his Knights. They returned his stare in puzzlement. Not a single one of them had so much as moved. 

Pathetic. That was the first word that came to Uther Pendragon's mind. Pathetic. The collection of pathetic excuses for Knights stood in front of him in the throne chamber. Arthur sat on his right, and Morgana sat on his left. Gaius, his physician stood to one side of the chamber, alongside the serving boy Merlin, the only person in the room to help the Prince of Camelot.

"So while your Prince, the future of this Kingdom, risked his life for us all, you simply _watched_ him? You! The best Knights in the realm merely watched. His _manservant_ had to step in and help?" Uther could barely look at his so-called Knights. They were supposed to have been tested for their suitability to become a Knight. Only the finest of the finest could rise to the rank of a Knight of Camelot.

"Sire," one of the Knights finally spoke up, timidly. "I-"

"You will speak ONLY when I allow you to!" Uther shouted down the Knight, infuriated. The Knights all looked down at the wooden floor, looking mortified. "You're all extremely lucky you're still in possession of your heads."

"My Lord" spoke up the Lady Morgana. The King turned to look at her, his face softening slightly. "They have said they could not see the Beast. Surely that excuses them from fighting it?"

"Rubbish," replied Uther bluntly. "Of course they can see it." He turned back towards the men. "When the Beast reappears, as we know it will, you will ride out again, and you will fight. Or else you WILL lose your heads. Dismissed." Uther waved the Knights away as, at his words, the guards outside the doors opened them, letting the Knights past. After the men had left, in total silence, the heavy doors were closed. Morgana stood up and approached her guardian.

"How can they fight something that they cannot see?"

"Of course they can see it. They will ride out under Arthur's lead, and they will fight."

"You're sending them to their deaths! You do not have a never-ending supply of Knights, Uther Pendragon!" Morgana was getting evermore angry at her King who was getting more and more irritated

"They do not want to fight because of what happened last time the Beast appeared!"

"And yet you send your own son to fight it, in spite of what happened when it last appeared? You call yourself a father?" Morgana's words had a trace of venom within them. At her words, Arthur jumped up from his seat, and stepped between the pair.

"That's enough, Morgana."

"I would advise you to hold your tongue, child." Uther spoke slightly quieter than usual, with a feeling of menace.

"Gaius." Arthur turned to face the Court Physician. "Do you have any explanation for today's events?"

"Well, my Lord, I have reason to believe that this Beas is different from the one we have experience with. I believe this creature has been conjured, with sorcery."

"Yes Gaius, you have told me this," Uther replied. Arthur sat back at his throne, disaster averted.

"No Sire, I have not. I do not believe this Beast to be of the Old Religion. It is something new."

"Nonsense. It is a creature of nature, and it will be destroyed. Why, even fighting it alone, Arthur managed to do the Beast considerable damage." Uther seemed to have forgotten the fact that, if it were not for Merlin, Uther would no longer have a son to praise. The forgetful King walked over to Arthur as he spoke, and clapped Arthur's shoulder in pride. 

Meanwhile, Morgause stood in a dark cave, far from Camelot. She stood over what appeared to be a scrying pool, which she observed. She gazed into its watery depths and looked on as she watched King Uther clap Arthur on his shoulder. The Witch's face turned from interest to annoyance and anger. She extended her hand over the pool, incensed.

"_Eftgian!"_ Morgause's eyes shone a bright gold and she cast her spell. She smiled.


	4. Nothing to See

Morgana missed her father. Barely a day passed when she did not think of him. Uther feigned grief but when it came down to it, he promised her father reinforcements, and delivered him none. She hated that her father's grave lay so very far from Camelot castle. She could not visit the grave anywhere near as often as she would like, and when she did, she had to be accompanied by guards and Knights – hardly ideal travelling companions with whom to grieve and bear her feelings. So instead, she would often travel to a rural river, flowing through the hills of the Camelot, very near to the castle. Her father always loved to swim. Morgana lay on the luscious river-banks for hours on end. As the sun began to set, she gathered her things and turned to stroll back to the citadel. She was bending down to pick some carnations for her room, to remind her of her father, when a shadow fell over her back. Puzzled, she straightened up and turned, to be met with a sight from the pits of hell itself. A great figure, with a furry body, four legs and a tail stood before her, but with the vicious head or a blood-thirsty serpent perched on a leopard's body. Morgana could neither move not talk for fear, she was rooted to the spot. The Beast made no noise. It simply stared into her eyes, as if registering her. Without warning, it turned on the spot and, whipping Morgana to the ground with its tail, ran back towards the forest, in the direction of Camelot's main gate.

"Sound the Warning Bell!" Morgana cried, as she ran into the Guard House. The number of guards and Knights collected there simply stared at her. The Lady Morgana never entered somewhere like the Guard House...

"Did you hear me?" she shouted. Clearly, the fools hadn't. Didn't they hear the fear in her voice? "Sound the Warning Bell!"

"My Lady," one of the Knights spoke up. "If we are to sound the Bell, you must tell us the reason for doing so. What has plagued you?"

"I have seen the Questing Beast, heading straight for Camelot, you must warn the people, now." Then again, thinking back, she wasn't actually so sure why she was so terrified of the monster. It just looked. It didn't roar. It didn't even growl...

The tolling bell brought Morgana out of her reverie. A Knight she recognised as Sir Collinore had gently taken her arm, and was steering her towards the door.

"My Lady, you should return to the safety of your chambers. I will alert Prince Arthur and the King, just get yourself to safety." Morgana jogged up the main steps of the palace, with Sir Collinore close behind her. As they reached the top Sir Leon, Arthur's second-in-command appeared at the door.

"Leon!" cried Collinore. "Take the Lady to her chambers, I must alert Arthur to what has happened!" Collinore ran back down the stairs.

"Collinore!" called Leon in reply. "What _has_ happening?" Collinore was too far away to hear him. Leon ushered Morgana through the door with a concerned look on his face.

"My Lady, why has the Bell sounded?" Leon demanded as the two jogged up the stairs. They arrived at the statue of the Griffin near Morgana's chamber.

"The Questing Beast was seen heading straight for the citadel, so I alerted the Guard." Leon looked up in shock when Morgana mentioned the Beast. Without a word, he sprinted back down the stairs and out of the door.

"What are you _doing_?" Morgana cried down the stairs. Sir Leon stuck a terrified face back around the door.

"I'm Arthur's second-in-command. This will be the battle of his life, he needs me." And at that, Leon withdrew his head and ran to find his Prince.

"You know what must be done. My father has warned you of the consequences, should you not help today. When we come across the Beast, you must fight. While I cannot change the King's mind, I will allow you to pull-out now." Arthur stood in the courtyard of Camelot. The Knights that the King had told to fight were stood in front of him, along with both Sir Leon and Sir Collinore. Arthur looked up at the many windows surrounding him, and saw just as many citizens of Camelot watching. And there, at one of the windows, was the Lady Morgana, stood at the window near to the Griffin statue. Trust her to stick her nose into his leading of the Army. He turned back to his Knights. None of them had moved. Apparently, they had all decided to stick around. Arthur drew his sword and held it aloft.

"For the Love of Camelot!" he cried, triumphantly.

"For the Love of Camelot!" chorused his Knights, all sounding equally triumphant.

Morgana watched from her window as Arthur and his Knights saluted the Kingdom. Despite all of Arthur's shortcomings, she thought, she couldn't say Arthur wasn't passionate about Camelot... She watched as Arthur walked past his Knights, watched as the men parted to create a path for Arthur to walk through. Sir Leon stood at his shoulder, man-to-man, with the rest of the Knights behind them. The best Knights in the land. Conversely, Merlin stood at Arthur's other shoulder, looking thoroughly out-of-place in amongst all the men clad in shiny, silver armour.

"He'll make a wonderful King." Morgana turned in surprise to see Uther Pendragon standing at her side. Morgana frowned slightly. She'd never heard the King talk about Arthur so appraisingly...

"My Lord! I... did not expect to see you here."

"No, well I thought I should see my son off. You were right. It is careless of me to send my son to fight that which almost caused his death."

"Then put an end to it!"

"I cannot. Arthur would oppose any decision I made about him staying behind."

"But Sire-" Morgana's words were interrupted by a great roar from outside. She swivelled round to the window and gazed out of it. Far below, she could see Arthur twist around in a similar fashion and draw his sword. She observed as Merlin crouched slightly, standing on the balls of his feet, ready to move. Other than that, no-one in the Courtyard appeared to have heard a thing.

"Morgana?" Uther asked at her side, sounding concerned. "Are you troubled?"

"No... I don't think-" Morgana gasped mid-sentence. The great figure of the Questing Beast stalked around the corner into the Courtyard. She saw Arthur take up a defensive position, and Merlin begin to back away slightly. Again, no-one in the Courtyard moved a muscle.

"Morgana?" asked Uther, sounding extremely worried now. "What's the matter?"

"NOW!" Both Uther and Morgana turned to the window to see Prince Arthur spring forward, sword in hand to attack...

"Nothing! There was _nothing there_!" Uther shouted at Arthur. After, from Morgana's point of view, the Beast had been driven away and Arthur had stopped fighting, Uther hand stormed into the Courtyard, had a few whispered words with Arthur and demanded they meet in the Council Chambers. No-one else was to enter.

"Then why could I see it, father?"

"How should I know? The fact of the matter is that not a single person watching reacted, other than you. There was no Beast."

"Then how do you explain Morgana seeing it? It was _her_ that alerted the Guard!"

"She claimed to have seen it at dusk. Her minds were playing tricks on her after the tales you spun yesterday!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"You will treat your King with the respect he deserves!" Uther was infuriated.

"What about Merlin? He saw it as I did!"

"He is your servant; it is his _job_ to agree with you!" At these words, Arthur rolled his eyes in disgust, turned and strolled out of the Chamber.

"Arthur!" shouted Uther angrily. His son did not look back.

"But you could see it?" Gwen asked, as she folded up Morgana's dress.

"Yes... I do not know why. Couldn't you?"

"I'm afraid not... do you know if anyone else could see?"

"Merlin, I think, but no-one else, as far as I know... I need to use my chamber pot, if you'll excuse me." Morgana left the room, as Gwen bowed her out. She continued to fold, when the door was pushed open.

"Guinevere!" Arthur said when he saw her, pleasantly surprised.

"Sire! You should not just barge into a bedroom. Who knows what the occupant could be doing?" Arthur smiled at Gwen's words, who suddenly looked slightly nervous. "Can I uh, help you, Sire?"

"I wished to see Morgana."

"She's using her chamber pot at the moment. She'll be back soon." Gwen turned to straighten the bedclothes.

"I take it you heard of the day's events, then." Arthur asked, sounding somewhat defensive.

"Yes... Morgana told me."

"And what did she have to say?" Arthur clearly expected Morgana to have mocked him. Gwen took note of this and turned to face him. She approached him and took his hands. She looked into his eyes.

"It doesn't matter what she thinks. Only what you think. If you say the Beast was there, I believe you Arthur. There is a clear reason for the events of today, whether we know what it is or not."

"Thankyou..." Arthur smiled at his future Queen, clearly touched by the sentiment. He squeezed her hands and looked into her eyes.

"Gwen, could you empty that for me?" Morgana re-emerged, backing into the room. Arthur and Gwen dropped each other's hands and stepped back from each other as Morgana turned to face the pair. "Arthur!" she sounded surprised.

"I need to talk to you, Morgana."

"Of- of course. Gwen?" She looked towards her maid, who nodded and headed towards the door.

"No need Guinevere." Arthur looked at her and smiled. "I trust you." Gwen turned back into the room, smiling back. Morgana looked from one to the other and joined in the smiling.

"How can I help you?"

"Describe the Questing Beast. Describe what you saw."

"Can you explain it Gaius?" The King asked his Physician. Uther had sent for Gaius after Arthur had stormed out, desperate for some explanation.

"I'm afraid not, Sire. Perhaps sorcery is to blame."

"Nonsense. You see sorcery everywhere you look. There must be a rational explanation for this."

"You asked me for my opinion Sire, and I have given you that. I can give you no more." Gaius looked at Uther. It was becoming increasingly obvious to the Physician why some could see the Beast and why others could not.

"... and that look in its eyes, one of pure malice." Morgana finished her description. Arthur nodded silently. Her experiences matched his exactly. Arthur turned towards Gwen.

"You have never seen the Beast?"

"I regret to say, I haven't, My Lord."

"Very well. Morgana, I will leave you to your rest." With these words, Arthur bowed himself out of the room.

"Good night, My Lady." Gwen extinguished the last candle of the room, curtseyed and left her chambers as well. Morgana sighed, and climbed under the duvet

Gaius left the King's chambers, to meet Merlin outside. They begin to walk back to Gaius' rooms.

"So?" asked the young Warlock.

"I have no concrete explanation for it Merlin. What myself, Arthur, Morgana and you have in common, I cannot imagine."

"You can see it too?" Merlin asked, surprised.

"Not see it as such. But I could certainly hear it Merlin. I could sense where it was, but I could not see it. I cannot fathom why. We need to find someone who knows why." Merlin stops and turns to walk in the opposite direction at Gaius' words, leaving him to stare after Merlin in surprise.


	5. Nightmares and Memories

Merlin entered the cave, flambeau in hand. He peered through the dark to see the giant rocky perch with which he had become so accustomed. It was empty.

"I need to talk to you!" he called into the darkness. There was no reply. Merlin couldn't even hear the flap of a wing, or the jangle of a chain. He sighed in annoyance and turned to leave.

"You always do, Merlin." A voice sighed from the abyss. He swivelled back around, but still saw nothing. The Great Dragon skyrocketed up from below. Merlin fell back as its tail came too close to his face for comfort. "Well, young Warlock, you _have_ been busy," the Dragon boomed, rather conversationally, as it settled onto its rock.

"So you know why I'm here?"

"I could hazard a guess, yes." The Dragon's eyes bored into Merlin. If Merlin didn't know better, he'd have thought the Dragon could read his mind... Merlin took a deep breath and continued.

"How is it the Questing Beast is here in Camelot?"

"Surely you know that not to be true, young Warlock?" The Dragon spoke with a madly patronising tone. It smiled, with narrowed eyes.

"Well what is it then?"

"It would appear to be a nightmare. A memory. A memory of the Old Religion."

"A memory..? Who's memory?" Merlin wandered aloud. "Who's nightmare?"

"Can you think of no-one who would have reason to suffer nightmares about the Beast?"

"Morgana suffers nightmares by the night."

"The Witch?" The Dragon chuckled at Merlin's words. "Why, Merlin, would she dream of something like the Questing Beast?" Merlin had no reply. "No," the Dragon continued. "The source of this nightmare, is he who will unite the land of Albion; Arthur Pendragon."

"No... how- how can that be? It's... well, isn't the Beast a creature of magic?"

"Yes. The Nightmare is a creature of the Old Religion young Warlock, and that is why only you and the Witch, the Lady Morgana can lay eyes on it. Only those of the Old Religion themselves may set eyes upon such an abomination."

"Where did it come from? Who summoned it?"

"Your endless questions continue to tire me, Merlin... but this question, I cannot reply to. For the simple reason that I do not know."

"Well then, why can Gaius only hear it?" Merlin completely disregarded the Dragon's small complaint. It sighed slightly, before responding.

"That old fool has turned his back on the Old Religion and embraced the New." Merlin began to dispute the Dragon's slur on Gaius, but it spoke over him. "What he hears is but an echo, a shadow. Once the Old Religion becomes a part of you, it can be difficult to escape it. Gaius will discover this soon enough."

"What about Arthur? He doesn't follow the Old Religion, and he never has."

"There are two possibilities for that, Merlin. You know as well as I do; the Once and Future King was born of magic. Your tyrant of a King ensured that."

"No... You're saying Arthur follows the Religion... without knowing it?"

"I am not," the Dragon replied bluntly. "I was stating that Arthur has a mere remnant of magic flowing through his veins and it is, therefore, unlikely to be the reason as to why he can see the Nightmare. No, the reason for his ability to see it, is the simple fact that the Nightmare is his. It was summoned from his own memory."

"So you're saying... if he forgot the Beast, it would disappear? It would terrorise Camelot no longer?"

"It is possible." Merlin nodded, taking in the Dragon's confirmation. He knew what he had to do, although had no chance how it would be done... Merlin thanked the Dragon and turned to leave.

"But be warned young Warlock. I fear these events will not follow that path. I fear that the true motive for this attack is not the destruction of Camelot. Be wary."

For a man with such an important destiny, thought Merlin, Arthur was a pathetically messy individual. Merlin hadn't seen Arthur all morning. As Merlin had finished his duties the night before, Arthur had written out a list of chores he wanted doing as soon as possible. When Merlin had reported for duty the next morning however, he found an empty chamber, and the list placed on his pillow.

Merlin knelt down and stuck his arm under the bed, drawing out a bundle of old clothes and a mouldy apple core.

"Oh my God..." Merlin mumbled as he held the core at arm's length, and threw it into a rubbish basket. He picked up the bundle of clothes and dumped them into a second basket, for clothes to be washed. He took a look around, removed his neckerchief and snuck it into the basket. Free washing. Lovely.

"Merlin!" a voice cried, as the door to the bed-chamber was thrown open. Merlin jumped in surprise (and slight fear), and turned to face the door. The shock rose, as he stuttered out a response.

"M-my Lord," Merlin managed in surprise. He bowed in the presence of his King, who had burst into the room to find Merlin, and no-one else.

"Where is Arthur?" Uther looks hysterical. Something big was obviously bothering him. "I must find him. A matter of great urgency has arisen."

"I, um, haven't seen him all day, my Lord. He left me a list of chores for the day." Merlin picked up the list and passed it to Uther, rather lamely. The King took it and scanned the list.

"I see he has not ordered you to clean or polish his armour. Does he usually?"

"Yes, Sire, mostly every day. I can only assume he has taken his armour with him."

"Perhaps he already knows of the situation then, and has taken it upon himself to sort it out..."

"Well his horse was gone, when I mucked out," Uther looked up at Merlin. "Cleaned," he corrected "the stables. His, erm, horse was gone." Merlin spoke with a badly-hidden hint of fear. He had little experience with talking to the short-tempered King. How was he supposed to talk? Apparently however, the King had accepted his manner of speech. He smiled briefly, nodded and turned to leave the room. Merlin took this as a positive note, and did something either rather brave, or rather stupid.

"Wait!" he called after his King. "What's the problem that you need Arthur for?" Uther reappeared around the door. He looked at Merlin for a second.

"Camelot is under attack."


End file.
